Our Stories

Rolled architectural or technical drawings resting on a table, showing printed measurement markings and curved line diagrams on aged, slightly torn paper.

Handwritten Records at the Toronto Necropolis: Preserving the Past

Toronto Necropolis Long before computers and digital databases, the Toronto Necropolis relied on the steady hand of its caretakers. For decades, every
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A vintage black‑and‑white portrait of Marion Alice Powell-Orr wearing a peaked cap with an insignia and a dark military jacket. The jacket features a winged badge on the chest and shoulder markings. The person is posed against a softly lit studio backdrop.

Marion Alice Powell-Orr: Breaking Barriers in the Skies

really old skates

Percy Johnston: A Life on Ice

A historical black‑and‑white photograph of a uniformed military figure wearing a peaked cap with an insignia. The person is dressed in a formal service uniform, standing outdoors in front of a softly blurred background with architectural elements.

Colin Fraser Barron: Hero of Passchendaele

big wheat field

From Farm to Cemetery: The Gummerson Story

hockey game in 1931

James Wes McKnight: Canada’s First Sports Commentator

Taller stone memorial monument set in a green park, inscribed with the words “Korean War Gapyeong Battle Monument” and “We Will Remember Them Forever,” featuring the South Korean and Canadian flags at the top, with engraved bronze plaques mounted on the base and trees surrounding the site.

Korean War Gapyeong Battle Monument and Conflict Sculpture: Honouring Courage Through Design

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Tamara Jaworska: From Arkhangelsk to Toronto, A Life Woven in Art

big brick house by train tracks

Allan Royce: From English Roots to Toronto Legacy

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Cecil Robert Youngfox: A Voice through Art

Black‑and‑white photograph of Sidney Lambert seated in a wicker chair, wearing a First World War military uniform with a buttoned tunic and insignia, resting one arm on the chair, with an indoor setting and standing lamp visible behind him.

Reverend Sidney Lambert: Soldier, Survivor and Advocate

A large early‑20th‑century ocean liner with a black hull and white superstructure steams across calm water, emitting dark smoke from multiple funnels, viewed broadside against a pale sky and distant shoreline.

Empress of Ireland Memorial: A Silent Tribute 

a turkey on top of a car

Tom the Turkey: Beechwood’s Unlikely Star

Black‑and‑white photograph of John M. Lyle standing in front of a large sculptural relief, wearing a suit and tie and holding carving tools in his hands, suggesting an artist or architectural studio setting.

John M. Lyle: Architect of a Canadian Identity

Stone grave marker for Captain Stewart Boulter featuring a carved cross set into the centre of the monument, with engraved text commemorating his military service and death in action during the First World War, standing on a stone base in a grassy cemetery surrounded by trees.

Captain Stewart Boulter: A Cross from Vimy Ridge

Colour portrait of a person wearing a military uniform and peaked cap, shown from the chest up against a light, softly graduated background. The uniform includes a tie, lapel insignia, and decorative pins, suggesting a formal service portrait.

Garth Sparling Webb: From Juno Beach Hero to Guardian of Memory

Weathered gray stone grave marker with an arched top, partially obscured by pine tree branches, standing in a snowy cemetery; the engraved inscription is faint and difficult to read.

Following the Robinson Family History from Potter’s Field to Mount Pleasant

headshot of a man in a suit sitting in a chair

John Ross Robertson: Journalist, Reformer and Champion of Amateur Sport

houses and trees with brown grass

Benefit Society Oshchima: A Lifeline for Early Immigrants

View of the Toronto Crematorium Chapel, a Gothic‑style stone building with a tall central tower, seen through tree branches and a wrought‑iron fence in a leafy, sunlit setting.

Cremation Centre: A Turning Point in Ontario’s Funeral History

Formal portrait of a person wearing a light‑coloured suit and striped tie, with a military or service medal pinned to the left lapel. The photograph appears to be taken indoors, with window blinds and seated figures visible in the softly lit background.

Borivoje "Bora" Dragasevich: A Life of Courage, Community and Legacy